Summer Semester dates for 2010 are May 30 - June 27. Students will experience the natural splendor and be exposed to the exciting culture of Costa Rica; a stable, safe, and democratic country located in Central America.
The Summer Semester in Costa Rica will provide a superb opportunity for students to be immersed in a Latin American environment and promises to be a memorable and unique learning experience.
Course Description
The goal of this program is to provide students an academically vigorous study opportunity in a Latin American country. The three courses that will make up this program are:
Comparative Animal Behavior in the Tropics PSYC 150 (SB)
Observation, hands-on research, and classroom discussion will address how animals in the tropics face various adaptive problems, like finding food, finding mates, caring for offspring, avoiding predators, living with friends, family, and enemies, and interacting with humans. This course fulfills Psychology Cluster A requirements.
Nature, Culture, & Ecotourism SOC 235
We will explore the varieties, successes, failures, and dilemmas of ecotourism as it is practiced in different parts of the country. Some highlighted topics include sustainable development, food and culture, community development, health, local and global understandings of landscape and nature, and dilemmas of social change connected with globalization.
Spanish
Depending on proficiency, students will learn to speak, write, and read Spanish by focusing on local readings that reflect the rich cultural and ecological life of Costa Rica and Central America, its folklore, and the vocabulary of its rich ecosystem. Students will practice Spanish by interacting with people at the Ecolodge and in the surrounding community.
Students will choose 2 of the 3 courses.
Accommodations
Students and faculty will live and study at Ecolodge San Luis, a field station located in north-central Costa Rica. The station is located near the Quaker community of Monteverde and the famed rainforest preserves of the area. The Ecolodge is part of the San Luis valley community and is closely involved with the local people in regulating farming, ecotourism, and development activities. It provides an excellent opportunity for students to become immersed in a Spanish-speaking culture. Day trips are possible to other areas of the country including the capital, San Jose, nearby volcanoes, and the historical site of Santa Rosa. The people occupying the valley are mostly engaged in farming, growing coffee and sugar, and raising milk cattle for the local dairy. Some residents supplement their income with ecotourism activities. The field station and local residents work together to promote development activities that do not adversely affect life in San Luis. The community living here provides students with frequent and significant interaction in a Spanish-speaking culture. Surrounding much of San Luis valley are many natural reserves including the Monteverde Cloud Forest and the Children’s Rain Forest which allow for detailed study of tropical environments.
The Program
The semester is open to students at any level and from any discipline and is coded for Odyssey Global Awareness (GA) credit.
The Faculty
The Cost
The 2010 Summer Semester in Costa Rica will cost around $6400, which will cover all of your travel in and out of the country, room and board, all of your meals, and tuition - basically everything but personal spending money.
Program charges include air fare from Little Rock, Arkansas, all transportation while in Costa Rica, all meals and lodging in Costa Rica, health & travel insurance, and field trips to national parks and places of cultural interest. Homestays are available with local families, at an additional cost of $13.00 per night.
Applications
Course Schedule
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Flight to San Jose transfer to San Luis |
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Orientation |
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Classes |
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Final exams |
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Flight home |
All Hendrix policies regarding student conduct apply during the Summer Semester in Costa Rica.
Contact
Dr. Matthew D. Moran
moran@mercury.hendrix.edu
DW Reynolds Life Science Center
Room 215
(501) 450-3814
Links